SHAWNA DRISCOLL

Shawna Driscoll is the Managing Director for Park, overseeing the entire business, and leading the management team. From her beginnings serving tables at a yacht club in her New England hometown, then at the beloved Hillstone in Midtown New York City, she developed an understanding of hospitality as something more felt than explained, rooted in connection rather than consumption.

After a decade opening and operating restaurants across D.C. spots like Reveler's Hour and Boqueria, she moved to Los Angeles and served as the opening GM of Donna's before transitioning to oversee the group's operations.

Apart from a detour to get a Master's in International Affairs, she's always preferred the warmth of a crowded dining room to an office building—a choice that grew into a career devoted to hospitality.

GINA ZOEF

Gina’s early, family restaurant experiences sparked a lifelong love for food, service, and community. Gina worked her way through nearly every front-of-house position, eventually finding her passion in beverage—drawn to its ability to tell stories, evoke place, and bring people together. After years of front-of-house service, she now serves as the Director of Food & Beverage, Echo Park - overseeing all product and FOH operations for Donna’s, Lowboy, and Bar Flores.

SATHIA SUN

Sathia is a first-generation Cambodian-American chef who loves bold flavors, simple foods done right, and—above all—hotdogs. He grew up knowing how powerful food can be in bringing people together, and that idea still drives his approach to cooking and hospitality. Before becoming a chef, he studied anthropology—something that still shapes how he thinks about food and culture. He later trained at the Culinary Institute of America, where he laid the foundation for his professional cooking career.

He cooked in New York’s bountiful Hudson Valley as well as in Manhattan before moving back home to Los Angeles where he further developed his cooking at Felix, Pasjoli, and Union. Each place taught him something different, from precise technique to the value of cooking from the heart. His food blends solid technique and is always thoughtful, but never too serious.

SPENCER SMITH

Spencer is the Controller for Park, where he combines nearly a decade of experience in accounting and finance with a genuine passion for hospitality. A lifelong food enthusiast, he finds joy in exploring great restaurants and memorable dining experiences—making his role a natural fit in an industry that blends business precision with culinary creativity.

Before entering the world of finance, Spencer was a competitive swimmer in both high school and college, bringing that same focus and drive to his professional life. Outside of work, he enjoys snowboarding and spending time in the mountains. He lives in Upland with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Luka.

KARLA FLORES-MERCADO

Born in Sinaloa, Mexico, Karla made her way to California around the age of 10. Karla started working in her mother’s restaurant by the age of 12. Hospitality is in her blood, and she is very grateful to be born outside of the United States for the perspective it has given her. Living in southern California allowed Karla to explore many different fields in hospitality. Her solo cocktail pop-up Sip In LA started in 2011 and planted the seeds for what would later become Bar Flores.

Nowadays, you can find Karla in her test kitchen doing R&D as the Head Cocktail Designer for Park and co-owner of Bar Flores. Outside of work, she enjoys researching global cooking styles and techniques, spending time with her dogs, and experiencing new local restaurants and bars in Los Angeles with her girlfriend and occasionally putting googly eyes on things.

SHAWN LICKLITER

Shawn Lickliter is one of Los Angeles’ most respected bartenders and beverage professionals. A self-taught bartender from Knoxville, Tennessee, Shawn honed his craft as head bartender for esteemed Chef Thomas Keller at the acclaimed Beverly Hills restaurant Bouchon before joining Chefs Walter and Margarita Manzke in 2014. With the Manzkes, he spent nearly a decade as Bar Director overseeing celebrated programs at République, Manzke, Bicyclette, and Petty Cash Taqueria. Along the way, he helped shape the city’s cocktail culture, pioneering sustainable partnerships with independent producers and building one of the most ambitious vintage spirits programs in Los Angeles. His work earned national recognition, including the 2022 MICHELIN Guide Exceptional Cocktails Award for Manzke and multiple Top 10 placements at Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s Spirited Awards, including “Best U.S. Restaurant Bar” for both République and Bicyclette.

In 2025, Shawn embarked on his own venture with Vandell, a California-inspired neighborhood cocktail bar in Los Feliz created in partnership with Park Hospitality and longtime collaborator Vay Su. Vandell features cocktails designed around California’s micro-seasonal produce, a curated wine list from California and Europe, craft beer, and a menu of hot and cold bar bites all in an environment that is both energetic and refined.

Today, Shawn is recognized not only for his technical precision and inventive cocktails, but also for his ability to create spaces that feel both elevated and welcoming setting the tone for the next chapter of Los Angeles’ bar scene.

VAY SU

Vay Su is a Los Angeles based bartender and bar director with over 15 years of experience creating thoughtful, technique driven cocktail programs rooted in balance, seasonality, and restraint. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Los Angeles, Vay’s approach has been shaped by the city’s diversity, produce driven cuisine, and the constant overlap of cultures that define how Los Angeles eats and drinks. As the lead bartender at République, Vay helped shape one of the city’s most respected beverage programs, contributing to its reputation for exceptional cocktails and hospitality.

Vay’s work blends classic foundations with modern execution, often drawing subtle influence from Asian flavors, culinary technique, and a deep understanding of acidity, texture, and structure. The goal is never spectacle, but clarity. Drinks that feel intentional, precise, and easy to return to.

A decorated competitor, Vay has won multiple cocktail competitions, including the Maker’s Mark Bartender Cup, WhistlePig Whiskey Competition, and the World Bijou Competition, and was named Heaven Hill Bartender of the Year. These experiences, along with years behind the bar, have shaped a style focused as much on hospitality and consistency as on creativity.

For Vay, Vandell represents a return to the kind of neighborhood bar that first inspired their love of hospitality. Rooted in Los Angeles and built around California’s micro seasonal produce, Vandell’s cocktail program reflects a city informed perspective, where balance, seasonality, and intention guide every decision. Alongside a thoughtful selection of wine, beer, and food, the space is designed to feel warm, familiar, and enduring. A bar built not on trends, but on trust, consistency, and a genuine sense of place.

HANNON MATERN

JASMINE ZHOU

Jasmine, a Los Angeles native, began her journey in cooking while working at a small cafe during her college years studying psychology. Upon graduation she continued to work her way through kitchens in LA and attributes her foundational years to Son of a Gun and Gwen. From there she traveled and worked abroad in China and Australia before returning back to the states during the pandemic. Most recently, Jasmine is coming off a project in Miami and Las Vegas with KYU restaurant group and is excited to be back home where the produce, weather, and culture truly cannot be beat.

In her free time, Jasmine enjoys hot yoga, indoor cycling, and hiking. You can also always find her exploring mom and pop shops and restaurants.

JULIAN MERCADO

Julian Mercado is a multifaceted creative professional based in Los Angeles, originally from San Antonio, Texas. Since relocating to LA in 2018, Julian has built a dynamic career as a photographer, social media manager, and has a deep passion for music as a drummer. With a sharp eye for visual storytelling and a passion for authentic engagement, Julian specializes in creating compelling photo content and managing digital presence for the Park social pages.

Outside of his professional work, Julian continues to explore his musical roots, blending his artistic passions into every project he takes on. Whether behind the camera, on stage, or behind the scenes curating social feeds, Julian brings energy, creativity, and a deep understanding of culture and community to everything he does.

JASON VALDEZ

Before coming back to LA Jason worked the hospitality circuit in San Francisco. That is where he learned how to bartend (appropriately) and where he fell in love with whisk(e)y.

Since starting down this path, Jason has always landed at really great whisk(e)y bars. Not knowing anything about the subject, he took a deep dive and came out with such an appreciation for the dram. After a decade in the Bay Jason realized that the things he loved most about this business were delicious cocktails, whisk(e)y & community.

He eventually came back to LA and found Wolf & Crane Bar and it embodied everything he enjoyed about working behind a bar. He continued coming as a patron and eventually got the lead gig. He tries daily to find ways to make this veteran bar feel as special for others as it does for him. “I love this bar, I love this community, and hope to see you here too, enjoying the craft we love.”

MARISA MERCADO

Marisa Mercado is a hospitality professional with over 10 years of experience, originally from Riverside, California. Known for her warm presence and sharp service instincts, Marisa brings a decade of industry expertise to every role she takes on. Outside of work, she enjoys catching a good baseball game, sipping bourbon, and spending quality time with her friends and family.

CHRIS MEHRA

Chris fell in love with hospitality 15 years ago and hasn’t looked back since. Every step he’s taken in this industry has been driven by a desire to grow, evolve, and become a true leader in the hospitality space. He’s worked in coffee shops, breweries, and craft cocktail bars all across Los Angeles—and every experience has led Chris to the incredible space we now call Bar Flores.

One of the biggest lessons he’s learned over the years is that it truly takes a tribe. No great place is built alone. Since being entrusted to lead this team, Chris made it his mission to help Bar Flores  get a little better every single day.

When not at work, you’ll probably find him at a Dodgers game or spending time with family and friends.

CHRIS CORVO

As a 4th generation born and raised Californio, Corvo spent his formative years hanging around and then working in the kitchens and dining rooms of the entertainment industry adjacent restaurants that his mother frequented and/or owned.

After a youth spent honing those skills with Chefs and restaurants of some renown, as well as many side roads travelled both personally and professionally, he pursued a career in Industrial Design by way of ACCD Pasadena. Finding success in the corporate world of designing and creating replaceable products, however, only left him missing the satisfaction of creating the irreplaceable experiences that only happen in a hospitality setting.
With a return to restaurants, he then helped to open and manage spaces that have come to be known as Los Angeles institutions, with Chefs and tastemakers that are continuing to define hospitality in this amazing city.

And that continues now, as Corvo humbly helms the team at Donna’s where the service, food, and warmth of spirit that drew him in as a guest is now his responsibility and pleasure to oversee and present to you nightly.

If you don’t find him in the restaurant, he is probably somewhere exploring a two lane highway on his motorcycle, or perhaps singing a ridiculous ad libbed bolero to the chihuahua he rescued, or the amazing woman who rescued him. Or both.